Source: UN News: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 00:01 AM
The United Nations on Friday paid tribute to more than 4,500 peacekeepers who made the supreme sacrifice while performing their duty in efforts to establish peace in the world during the last 78 years. At the UN Headquarters in New York international united nations peacekeepers day A special event was organized on Friday on the occasion of UN peacekeeping mission deployed in Lebanon – UNIFIL Recently another UN peacekeeper sacrificed his life.United Nations Secretary General During this special event, António Guterres laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Peacekeepers in the Secretariat complex and addressed the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) presided over a solemn ceremony. The event was attended by senior officials, the diplomatic community, and families and colleagues of fallen peacekeepers. The UN chief said that “Sadly, as this week’s events once again remind us, peacekeepers continue to face risk while carrying out their duty to protect the peace…and we pay the highest tribute to their service and sacrifice.” Tweet URL
The Secretary-General posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal to 68 peacekeepers from 33 countries, including 59 peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives last year. He said, “They (peacekeepers) are the best representatives of humanity – people who are willing to take every risk to protect others.” Peacekeeping’s highest honor During the event, two peacekeepers were awarded the ‘Captain Mbaye Dianne Medal’, the highest peacekeeping honor (Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal). This medal is given in memory of Senegalese peacekeeper Captain Mbaye Diagne, who sacrificed his life while protecting hundreds of lives as a peacekeeper in Rwanda in the year 1994. Sergeant Matias Reyes of Uruguay is currently serving under the blue flag of the UN in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was given this honor for saving lives there. He was unable to travel to reach the UN Headquarters due to the Ebola outbreak. The medal will be received on his behalf by a representative of the Permanent Mission of Uruguay to the United Nations. Sergey Prikhodko of Ukraine, UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was employed as a private contractor with helicopter crews. He sacrificed his life during a risky operation to evacuate besieged troops in March 2025. His wife, Tetiana Prikhodko, addressed the gathering, saying, “This medal honors his bravery, but it also reminds us of the true cost of peace… the sacrifices that are made by people who live far from home for the sake of people they may never even meet.” Honoring women peacekeepersDuring this ceremony, the United Nations also honored two women peacekeepers, including Major Abhilasha Barak of India posted in the UN Mission (UNIFIL) deployed in the southern region of Lebanon. She was awarded the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for 2025. Inspector Stefanie Koenigs of Germany was awarded the Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award by the United Nations South Sudan Mission.UNMISS) has been honored for his outstanding leadership and contribution in the implementation of the mandate. There are currently more than 50 thousand peacekeepers deployed around the world, whose assigned tasks include protecting civilians, assisting in elections, delivering humanitarian aid and neutralizing landmines. This program was carried out as part of the annual celebration of International UN Peacekeeping Day, celebrated on 29 May every year. On this day in 1948, the United Nations’ first regional mission in the Middle East, the United Nations Armistice Supervision Organization (UNTSO), was established. Since then, more than 2 million men and women have served in 71 peacekeeping missions operating on 4 continents.